In the Shadow of Las Noches
by Dragonius
Summary: An Alternate Universe Fanfiction. When a great nation falls, a woman is sent into a series of blackmailing and ultimately into hell itself. At the same time, the war between Seireitei and Las Noches heats up. What will happen when the two worlds collide?
1. Chapter 1: The Siege

Chapter One: The Siege

Constantinople, Byzantium

May 29th, 1453, About 6:30 AM

An empire that had lasted for over a thousand years, one that had inherited the title of Rome, the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire had come to a close that day. It had been known for a long while that the empire was over; one city and one island did not exactly make for an empire, after all. However, Constantine XI Palaiologos knew that it was on this day that the days of Roman glory were officially over. Ottoman troops had cut into the city, looting the people he had once promised safety behind high walls, and killing the faithful Christians noted before. A promise he could not keep, Constantine renounced his title as the Byzantine Emperor the minute the Ottomans had entered the city.

Along with the last hundred defenders that still remained alive in the city, Constantine stood in the only building that Mehmed would not dare raze or loot, the Hagia Sofia. Once a symbol for Christians all over the empire, now it served as a final stronghold for the last of the Byzantines. Outside the walls of the church was a deafening silence, the only subtle sound being the footsteps of Ottoman troops marching around the surrounding village areas. Constantine however was ready to finish it all off, ready to strike back and do whatever he could to save his people, no matter how useless that might be. There was just one loose end to tie up.

In the corner of the church, making a prayer of her own was his wife, and Constantine knew that he should have sent her out of the city to Mystras before the invasion began. Again, it was Constantine's pride and faith that prevented him from doing this, and he was afraid to actually tell her this, but it was now her fate to die as the rest of the people would. With her, Constantine suspected she already knew this, and had come to terms with the fact. Perhaps this was the reason why she had not spoken to him the entire time the siege had occurred. However, the time had come for this to happen, as Constantine walked across the main chapel of the Hagia Sofia, as defenders in their full armor stood ready to strike back if Mehmed's men actually did enter the church. Their fear was known easily with the sound of shaking armor echoing off of the domed ceiling.

The wife of Constantine was lit up by a window's shine of the sunrise over the high walls, kneeling in front of a large stone pillar on the side walls. To her, it was the only safe place that Constantinople had to offer anymore. Her husband was too proud to accept an Ottoman surrender and spare the lives of all in the city, and the rest of the city was already gone. Blue eyes had already been drowned in tears for nearly a week, now they were dry, and as cold as the ice they resembled. A royal dress of violet clothed her as she knelt with arms crossed, head dropped with the straight blonde hair worn from stress covering the sides of her face. Beside her was a symbol of last resort to her, a small dagger that her husband had told her to use in the uncommon case that the Ottomans took her prisoner. A painful end, but better that than in the hands of the Turks.

Eventually, Constantine found his way to her, kneeling parallel to her to face the incoming sun. A short prayer was said for his people and for his own safety before his wife said to him, facing the floor still, "The end has come, hasn't it?"

Constantine frowned, knowing the truth, but tried to preserve some hope with his response, "There still lies before us a chance for victory. We need to get you out of the city, out to my brothers in Mystras."

This response seemed to jolt her attention, as the wife turned to Constantine and put her hand on his, coming back with a reply of, "I won't leave you here…"

"And I won't let you stay here," Constantine finished, returning the hand grasp and finishing, "I will always find my way back to you, and you know that. Demetrius will take you in without question, and I will meet you there."

As if planned all along to trap him in another promise, his wife said once more, "Promise me that, Constantine. Promise me that you'll come back."

Another cringe came from the Byzantine emperor, reluctant to actually say such. The chance that both Constantine and his wife would escape was slim, and to promise something he could not keep once again would only bring him more shame. However, he once again had to succumb to the wishes of others, as he said softly, "I promise, Ariel."

Assured now of what would happen, Ariel rose from her spot, embracing Constantine with him returning the same. For what seemed like an eternity, the two sat there, as one tear fell from each face, a singular blink coming from Ariel before the two arose. A club to the silence that came, one of the defenders ran to the scene, yelling, "My lord, the Turks are at the doors!"

"Ready the men," Constantine commanded, now back into a fierce, yet calm demeanor, "I'll be there shortly."

As the defender left, Constantine turned once again to Ariel for one final sentence, walking towards the doors as he did so, "There is a back entrance to the church around this corner, and take it. Demetrius will be there for you in Mystras."

Ariel could only stand there defenseless as her husband cast off his violet cloak, setting it in a pew seat as he drew his sword, pushing all of his followers aside to stand at the front of the group, ready to take on the Ottoman troops that Ariel could hear screaming on the other side of the large entry. Bangs of a battering ram hit the door in intervals of ten seconds, and with each shot the defenders cringed backward unconsciously. Awestruck, Ariel stood with her back to the wall the wall, her hands flat against the rough stone, shaking as much as the men in front of her. It would all be over ten seconds later, as the battering ram struck and all hell broke loose.

Wooden doors not built for a siege flew into the chapel, gunfire erupting from the other side as the Muslim invaders poured into the room. Generals could be heard yelling from behind urgently; maybe to keep their men from destroying the church Mehmed had claimed to covet so much. Without regard for this, bullets rained onto the far side of the chapel, and with it, collateral damage came.

Ariel was struck by the bullets about two and a half seconds into the siege, taking a shot into the stomach and shortly afterward another shot to the chest came. She doubled over in pain, stumbling over her dress as she hit the floor, feeling the blood on her hands, and seeing the blood as soon as she was able to bring them in front of her face. The shot wasn't fatal, and that was the problem. Without any strength to get back up, Ariel was stuck on the floor, waiting for an end to come that probably wouldn't hit until the Ottomans caught her. A weak arm reached for the dagger she had kept next to her, but when she fell to her knees, Ariel had inadvertently tossed it out of her reach. Immobilized on the floor of the Hagia Sofia, Ariel watched as one by one the last of the Byzantines died, each one falling to the floor just as she had.

The defenders fought gallantly, facing astronomical odds of survival, yet still fighting for their city and their country. Sadly, bravery did not factor into the equations of victory, but technology did. The Byzantines were armed with spears and swords, but those were no match for Ottoman firearms. From the safety of the doorway and with distance between the two factions, the Ottomans cut down everyone before them with little difficulty. The hardest part was pointing the gun.

In the matter of two minutes, it was over, as no more Byzantine men stood, including that of Constantine. Unable to cry, unable to move, and unable to scream, Ariel lay on the floor, slowly dying of a shallow wound. Her savior in this case was not death, but an Ottoman General who walked into the room, an older man, tanned like the rest of his brethren and clothed in fine silks. What Ariel looked at the most however was the saber that rest on the man's right hip. The gleam of its silver hilt was more of a joy to her than anything that she had seen in weeks.

The General seemed to take a sign of shock to see an unarmed woman wounded in the Hagia Sofia, and started to yell at his men, delivering orders left and right as he wound up face to face with Ariel. She had heard of Islamic customs out in the East, how they viewed women as lesser beings, how they were not allowed to show skin in public. All in all, Ariel knew that he would kill her, and it was a blessing from God that it would actually transpire like that.

Instead, the General brought what looked to be a medic, who inspected her wound thoroughly and poked with different tools he had brought to try and remove the bullet lodged in her gut. As much as she wanted to stop them, Ariel could tell that her skin was pale with loss of blood from the stomach wound, which was bleeding profusely with a black shade, and the weakness she had from that prevented her from so much as whispering or groaning. Internally, Ariel wanted to yell from the top of her lungs to stop them, but externally could do nothing.

Eventually, the medic backed up from Ariel, shaking his head and speaking to the General in that foreign tongue. The General seemed to be just as disappointed, it seemed, as he shook his head as well, rubbing his face to try with a look of utter frustration on it. Conversing took forever as well, as Ariel found enough strength to move her head to her right to look at the men, sitting in the stone pews of the Hagia Sofia and talking of a solution. After five long minutes, the General arose from his spot, drawing his saber from his side and dropping himself to his knees. Together with two of his men, the General turned Ariel over to her stomach, causing her even more pain in that respect as she realized what exactly they were doing. It was an execution style thought to be barbaric by the Byzantines and other European countries, but seemed to serve its purpose here.

With a precision that indicated the General had done something like this before, he placed the cold saber to her neck, standing her hairs up instantly. The purpose was to separate the spine at certain places and paralyze the victim, letting them die of suffocation. However, Ariel also knew that it was painless other than a quick pressure to the neck. One just fell asleep, not breathing, and doing nothing but thinking as the end came. That pressure came quickly, as Ariel stopped feeling the pain of her injuries, and really, stopped feeling anything at all. At the top half of her wound, she could feel the blood of the neck stab, but otherwise, could only smile as the end had finally come. With death, peace would come.

If only that were true…

Overall Story Notes

This fanfiction is completely Alternate Universe. No canon characters are included in this story, location names are the same but details may be changed depending on how I feel like it. I have included the Bount race, despite the fact that they are Anime-only in terms of Bleach canon. Finally, I have completely changed the mechanics of how Vizard are formed and their powers, since I feel that the Vizard as they remain are completely overpowered for what they should be. I'll get to that when it's needed.

I try to be original by myself, but sometimes in a story I like to give tribute to some of my colleagues who I've worked with over the Internet in the past. I'm not greedy; I give credit where that credit is due. Even when I give nods to such characters or concepts, not copies, I'll announce when it is done, who I got it from and do it all with the needed permission from the owners.

Chapter 1 Notes

I'm not a medieval historian; I'm a bored kid writing a Bleach fanfiction. Thus, if you actually go looking for them, you'll find a bunch of things that aren't right about the Fall of Constantinople. For example, Constantine's final stand didn't take place in the Hagia Sofia, but a prayer service was held there shortly before. I'm sure you can find a bunch of other things too.

Constantine didn't have a wife at the time of his death; obviously Ariel is a completely fictional character in this scenario.

The Ottoman General giving a merciful death to Ariel was initially questioned by my peers since in those times relations between Muslims and Christians were strained at best. However, Mehmed II was pretty merciful to the citizens of Constantinople after he won the city. They were allowed to return to their homes, he personally paid to have their destroyed property replaced, and allowed them to practice their religion as they chose to. So I figured that at least one of Mehmed's Generals would have the same view.


	2. Chapter 2: Unconditional Surrender

Chapter Two: An Unconditional Surrender

Seireitei, Special Forces Detention Unit Maximum Security Holding Cell

Three Days After the Fall of Constantinople

There was only one room in Seireitei's most secure prison facility, only one. This was not the Shrine of Penitence, the white tower reserved for those about to be executed. This was not even the highly secretive Maggot's Nest, where retired and insane Shinigami were held for their own and the public's safety. It was an unnamed room controlled by the Detention Unit of the Special Forces, completely made up of Sekkiseki, and built over five-hundred feet below the surface of Seireitei. Guarded by seventy Shinigami from the Detention Unit, one Division from the Gotei 13, several Kido Corps members for sealing purposes and one Shinigami Captain, when occupied, there was no force in Soul Society or otherwise that was capable of breaking out of such a cell.

Today's guest brought worry to that claim.

Twelve hours ago, a female Arrancar was found at the North Gate of Seireitei, facing down the Gate Guardian of that side. She did not resist any fight, but allowed herself to be captured; claiming asylum from Las Noches in exchange for information about Seireitei's opposing capital. Her spiritual power level was not estimated to be above Lieutenant-level, and was apprehended by several higher-level Shinigami, taken directly to the place she resided in now.

Initially, everyone questioned several things about this. One, the Arrancar gave herself up willingly, but when put to a lie detecting Kido about why, her excuse came up as a lie. Two, she was not found with a zanpakutou, or weapon of any kind, meaning she didn't plan on breaking out with her current power level, only Lieutenant-level before the draining effects of the Sekkiseki. Three, she mentioned her position in the leadership of Las Noches, which would be an odd position for someone who wanted to defect to Seireitei in the war against Las Noches. The Arrancar wasn't just some normal Numeros. She was the ___Fracción_to the First Espada, Public Enemy #1 to the Shinigami, known only as "Angel".

Currently, the Arrancar was being held by the spiritual-power-sealing stone shackles, seated at in one of two chairs in the room, facing one end of the only table in the room. All in all, with the one light in the ceiling, it looked like your stereotypical interrogation room. It even had the two-way mirror at the side, probably the only vulnerable point in the room. Behind the mirror, the two Shinigami guards that never took their eyes off of the Arrancar, and the wall of Sekkiseki were two Shinigami in charge of figuring out just what was going on with the person sitting in that room.

The Shinigami to the left was a petite young girl, looking no older than twelve. Her formal suit of black cloth, the uniform of the Special Forces, was slightly loose on her, even though it seemed to be specially tailored for her. Hazel eyes, full of innocence despite her position in Seireitei, complimented her waved red hair, giving off the impression that she was just a little girl in the wrong place. Her counterpart to the right knew that this would be a false impression. Her stance, her glazed stare, even her parting of her hair, gave off the air that she was a professional, and that was true. She was the youngest Commander-in-Chief of the Special Forces, and the second to actually hold the position since the position was created, Tokiwa Shisune.

To the right was a Captain, from what the haori on his back showed, 8th Division to be exact. Shisune knew him to be one of the two newest Captains in all of the Gotei 13, a specialist in swordsmanship and interrogations from his previous job as the 8th Division's Lieutenant. His face carried a quizzical look, still looking at the Arrancar and wondering what exactly was going on. Red eyes actually matched a short-cut red hair this time, as the Captain stood with arms folded in his haori and tapped his foot once to break the silence in the side-room. Shisune could only look up at the two foot taller man and think to herself how successful this would be. The legend of Captain Kosenjou Kenshin was a great reputation to have when it came to being recommended for jobs.

"What do you think?" Shisune asked, after five minutes of watching the Arrancar with no words, her voice high and fluttery, like one could expect out of a twelve year old girl.

A sigh came out of the lower-pitched Captain, a sigh that was more sympathetic than bored. It was obvious that he felt for the condition of the Arrancar for the moment, something that Shisune thought would wear him down. Eventually, he spoke, "I fear for the rest of Soul Society for the moment. There's something about her that makes me uneasy…and I'm afraid I'm never wrong in that respect. What sort of protection do we have around this base?"

With the precision of a computer in her answer, Shisune replied, "120 men trained to fight in this sort of environment, three Lieutenants, including your own, and one other Captain."

"Who is the Captain?" Kenshin asked, another look of worry on his face when he asked this.

The next answer came with a sort of irritated tone, as Shisune seemed to be getting annoyed by all of these questions on her ability to defend one room and one Arrancar, "Captain Jonathan Rallings from the Second Division. Do you want me to go over the Kido-sealed doors and the other Divisions I can have sent in here with a call?"

With the air of the room completely changing in temperament, Kenshin raised his hands in a sort of surrendering manner, trying to get out of the room as soon as possible by asking, "I'll just go in there now, before the stone out here takes more than I've already given. Don't worry, I left my zanpakutou back at the headquarters, I don't carry it with me anyways."

Three doors were in between the side room and the actual interrogation room, the last one sealed through Kido by the Kido Corps members standing in front of it. There was a search and verification process that was done by these men as well, making sure that Kenshin did not take in any weaponry or anything else that the Arrancar could use as a tool for escape. Everything was cleared when the doors stopped shining in their golden color and moved to the side, allowing the Captain in to begin his business.

At the table sat the Arrancar, a dark-skinned beauty who stared mainly at her left hand, twirling a golden ring on her middle finger. Her hair was an odd color for a Shinigami, but seemed fairly normal for an Arrancar or Hollow, a deep azure that seemed shiny and curled near her shoulders, just like an ocean's waves. Her clothes that she had come in with had been replaced when she too was searched for hidden weaponry or items. Now she wore a sort of diminished Shinigami uniform, a black robe that covered everything to the shoulders and the knees, and nothing more. There was absolutely no way that this Arrancar would escape. It would take an army of ten to even stand a chance.

Kenshin sat down in his chair and situated himself, looking at the Arrancar's eyes, something essential to the interrogation process. The eyes of the woman sitting across from him were just as blue as her hair, which was odd considering the color of her skin. Immediately, Kenshin locked eyes with her and asked, "Hello, my name is Kosenjou Kenshin. What is your name, Arrancar? I would hate to have to refer to you by race all of this time."

Following this, the Arrancar sat up in her chair, assuming a posture that allowed Kenshin to see her mask remnants, a sort of spine of spiked ivory down the left side of her mandible, polished to where it shone even in the lighting of the interrogation room. Her face still showed the despair of someone who was imprisoned, as she replied with a sort of regal smoothness, the calm of her voice completely different than her face, "My name is Rena Faycorps, Fracción of the First Espada Lord Angel."

She was telling the truth, at least about that. It was a good start, and Kenshin decided to continue with that, "Through Kido barriers in the Rukongai and Seireitei, it is impossible to open a Garganta to Soul Society. How did you get here? You are actually the first Arrancar to come to our world."

"Thank you," Rena replied, a small smile coming over her, flattered over the record she had just set, "but you Shinigami are obviously behind on your knowledge of Arrancar technologies. I'm sorry that I don't know more than that."

Kenshin could almost hear Shisune raving behind the mirror about how Shinigami technology was superior, and would be having scouts sent into Las Noches probably to verify that. A small smirk came onto Kenshin with that thought, as he continued with another question, "You said that you had information to give to us regarding your people. What do you have for us?"

Rena stared directly into the eyes of Kenshin as she waited for a moment, letting a sort of severity sink in before she finally answered the question, "An Espada is coming to Soul Society to speak with the Commander-General and Central Government of the Shinigami. An Espada is coming to try to negotiate with the Shinigami for a truce or surrender of a certain asset that we would like claim of. If demands are not met, then people will die."

Kenshin was now interested as he leaned forward in his chair, asking once more, "What demands?"

Once again, Rena smiled as she leaned back in her chair, tugging at her shackles slightly, replying with a smile, "The first one is that I be set free."

Chapter 2 Notes

The Onmitsukido are referred to as the Special Forces in my story. Just a heads up for everyone who might be confused there. At the same time, their role is increased in the story, being an actual military force instead of just being a tag-along for the 2nd Division.

When I started writing this story, the Espada were assumed to be numbered from 10 to 1, with 1 being the strongest. However, when Yammy was revealed to be the "Cero Espada", I thought that it was ridiculous and stupid, so I kept everything as the 10 to 1 system instead of the 9 to 0 system it seems to be now. Angel, the Primera Espada, is the most powerful Arrancar.

On the note of Angel, if you are also reading the story Dead Beat Swords, you may notice that there is a character named Angel in that story as well with similar characteristics and everything. This is because Angel is indeed my original character that I made back on a now-dead RP forum, and I allowed for The Strider to use my character in his story before I decided that I would publish my story to the Internet as well. I trust him to keep my character from doing something stupid. ( :P ) Just so that's cleared up before drama ensues.

You must be thinking: "Jonathan Rallings doesn't sound like a Japanese name! What are you doing?!" I would think that Soul Society would be more multicultural than just Japanese, and that Hueco Mundo would be more multicultural than just Spanish. So when you run into those things, just go with it. It's a lot easier to make names when I have more than one country to work with.


End file.
